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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

The Pressure of Finding a Specialty

For the past month I've either been asked what my genealogy specialty is, or had conversations with people about trying to find a specialty. At this time I call myself a generalist. Not a very exciting title is it? It just doesn't have that punch that giving a specialty does. I feel slightly panicked and pressured about this.

How does one figure out their specialty or niche? Part of the problem is that I find everything interesting. There are a few topics that I seem drawn to, but I can name a specialist or two immediately off the top of my head for those topics. Shouldn't I find something more unique and not so already done? As you can imagine becoming a specialist in any area takes time and a lot of study. I feel the clock ticking.

So I'm curious... for those reading, do you have a specialty/niche? How did you figure it out? What advice do you have? I would love to hear your thoughts.

8 comments:

Interesting topic. Doing genealogy since I was 17, my goal was to do my own American side very well.Then I took a course with an American Lineage specialist. When she saw my work on my Hungarian line,she said that there was need for Hungarian specialty so it chose me .

For me, my niche kind of found me as being the "young" genealogist. But as I age, I'm keeping my focus on organization, technology, and American research (with an emphasis on Appalachian research). I've been reading as many books on Appalachian research and trying to apply the new skills I learn on my own research.

It takes time. I "identified" my niche area two years ago, and have found that it continues to change and evolve, as do I. Now I say that I "focus" on the Rocky Mountain Corridor, but also work heavily with Fraternal Societies, Germans from Russia, Moravian's, social media, etc. It'll come. Don't let the pressure get to you!

My specialty was easy to pick. Since I am 95% PA German and that is what I've been researching for over 40 years, it was a no brainer. That is what I know well and have the most experience with researching. I'm also very interested in keeping that cultural history alive so read as much as I can on it and attend cultural activities.

Hello Cinamon, I am in the same boat as you, lately I have been so scattered in my research that my time is being wasted. I have decided that because I love visiting cemeteries and organization of my work, these are the two areas I will focus on. Studying and learning about symbols on headstones and how to keep an organized family tree. Your blog is great

Cinamon, I've been very proud to call myself a generalist as that is what I feel that I am. I have fairly broad knowledge across a wide range of time periods, localities, and record groups. However, as I've begun dipping my toes into the waters of becoming an educator, I'm discovering that while being a generalist can make you a very good genealogist, it does not really help you become recognized as an expert when someone is trying to fill a particular need. For my goal of becoming a genealogical educator I think I will need to specialize in at least one or two areas (while still pulling from the broad education and experience that being a generalist can provide). Land records are a particular passion of mine, as is research in the Carolinas, so my next focus is to continue to deepen my education in those particular areas...at least to start with ;-) The label itself doesn't really mean very much. What are your goal(s)? Will having a specialty really help you to achieve them?

About Me

I've met a lot of really wonderful people through genealogy. The adventures I have in genealogy are sometimes wild, but mostly simple. I often wonder what my ancestors would think of... well just about everything. Thanks for checking in and welcome to my adventures!